Process of cleaning and refining oil.



0. 'w. STONE. PROCESS OF CLEANING AND BEFINING OIL. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1912.

1,070,555, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. W. STONE.

PROCESS OF CLEANING AND REPINING OIL.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1912. 1,070,555, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE;

CHARLES STONE,

or HoLLYwoon, oAIJFoRNIa, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 EARL "TB, GILMORE, or LOS ANGELEs, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF CLEANIhlG AND REFININ G OIL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns W. STONE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Hollywood, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process of Cleaning and Refining Oil, of which the following is a specification.-

The main object of the present invention is to provide an economical and efiicient process for separating water from oil.

Crude oil, particularly that produced in certain districts of California, contains a large percentage of water, partly in a so.- called free state, that is, in a condition of mixture such that it can be separated from the oil by heating the oil in tanks, and partly in an emulsified condition in which it is'not susceptible of separation by heating and settling.

The. present invention relates primarily to the cleaning of the oil from water, both free and emulsified.

A further object of the invention is to provide for saving the gasolene and other highly volatile constituents of the oil which are lost in those cleaning processes which depend on the exposure of the heated oil in open tanks.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus suitable for carrying out the proc ess, and referring thereto Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 02 -00 in F ig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line w a: in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the gasolene line for condensing the evaporated gasolene and utilizing the heat therefrom for heating the incoming oil. v

The apparatus comprises a trough, box or casing 1, preferably of considerable length,-

say sixty feet, and supported, for example, on supports 2, so that there is a slight di or grade from the initial to the final end 0 the box, say one foot drop in sixty feet. This box or casing is closed at the top and at the lower end thereof is provided with an elevated extension 1. A coil of pipe 4 extends longitudinally in the box 1 and is connected to a steam supply pipe 5 having a valve 6.

Specification of Ietters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed August 12, 1912. Serial No. 714,738.

This coil pipe may rest on transversely exend of the box or casing 1, from a tank 7 by means of an outlet pipe 8 leading from the upper part of said tank into the upper end of the box or casing 1. From the lower part of the tank 7 a pipe 10 extends upwardly, serving as an outlet pipe for water settling from the oil in the-tank 7 Means may be provided for heating the contents of the tank 7, consisting, for. example, of a steam coil 11 connected to receive steam from the coil at aforesaid, and discharging through a valve 12. Oil may be supplied to the apparatus from any suitable source of supply, through a pipe 14 communicating w1th one end of an oil line or pipe 15 which may run substantially the entire length of the box or casing 1, and is connected at its further end with a pipe 16 discharging into the top of the tank 7. Within the pipe 15 extends an inner. pipe 18 which opens into the top of the lower end of the box or casing 1 or the extension 1 thereof, to receive the gasolene and other vapor arising from the oil in passing through the casing 1, this gasolene line being connected to any suitable means for receiving the gasolene and settling out the condensed water therefrom. From the bottom of the lower end of the casing 1 extends a pipe 20 leading downwardly into the lower portion of a tank 21, said tank having an outlet pipe 22 for water, extending upwardly from the bottom of the said tank and having an outlet pipe 24 for oil, extending from the upper portion of said tank, said outlet pipe leading to suitable means such as tanks 25 for receiving the pnrified oil.

Considerable foam is produced in heating the oil in the casing l and for this purpose the elevated extension 1 is provided to receive this foam and deliver it to a discharge pipe 26, leading downwardly into the upper portion of the tank 21 aforesaid. Said tank 21 also has a drain pipe 27 normally closed by a valve 28.

The 0 'eration is carried out in the above describe apparatus as follows: Oil is supplied through the pipe 14 to the oil line 15 and in passing through said line is warmed by the heat from the outflowing gasolene vapors. The warm oil passes into the tank 7 and is therein further heated by the steam coil 11. The heat thus imparted to the oil is'suflicient to cause the free water therein to settle out and to pass through the pipe 10, thedimensions of tank 7 being sufficient to enable the oil to be retained therein a sutficient time for separation of the free water in this manner. The oil which is thus freed from the water, rises to the top and passes through the pipe 8 to the upper end of the casing 1 and flows along said casing to the lower end thereof. In thus passing along the casing, the oil is brought in contact with the hot steam coil in the casing and the length of the casing and coil therein is such that before the oil reaches the end, every portion thereof is brought into actual contact with the hot metallic surface of the steam coil, it being an essential feature of the process that the oil is heated by direct contact with the hot metallic surface. The

layer of oil is shallow so that the vapors liberated may quickly escape from the body of oil. The operation of the heat is to break up the globules of oil and water and to set thewater free from its emulsification with the oil. In those processes wherein the oil is heated in a large body by means of a steam coil in the body of oil, the oil being substantially stationary, only a small portion of the oil comes in actual contact with the steam coils and conduct-ion and convection through the oil are relied on to heat the body of oil. Under such conditions it is not possible to heat the whole body of oil ,sufliciently to liberate the water therefrom.

By passing the oil rapidly over the hot metallic surface of the steam coil in a comparatively shallow layer or stream, the necessary heat 'is applied suddenlyv to each globnle of oil and water as it is brought into cont-act with the hot surface and the adheand other volatile oils, along with the water vapor, passes out through the outlet pipe 18 through the oil line 15 to any suit-able condensing means. The oil which has been heated in the casing 1 when it reaches the lower end of the casing, passes out through the pipe 20 to the tank 21 and the water which has been settled from the oil, finds an outlet through the pipe 22 and the oil freed from the water passes out through the pipe 24. The foam which is formed by the boiling or vaporizing action in the casingl, ac-

oumulates in the lower end of the casing and runs over to the upward extension 1 and down through the dlscharge pipe 26 to the tank 21, wherein the foam. settles and separates into oil and water. Any solid sediment or sludge which is deposited from the oil, settles in the bottom of tank 21 and may be drawn off from time to time through pipe 27.

In case the oil contains little or no free water, the water being all in the form of an emulsion, the oil may be supplied from the oil supply line 15, through a pipe 30, directly to the upper end of the casing 1, a valve 31 in said pipe 30 being opened and a valve 32 in pipe 15 being closed to effect this operation.

' What I claim is:

1. The process of treating petroleum, containing free water, emulsified Water and volatile oil having a lower boiling point than water, which consists in heating the petroleum in a substantially stationary condition, to a suflicient temperature to cause the free water to settle therefrom, then drawing off the petroleum and causing the same to flow rapidly over a metallic surface heated to a temperature above the boiling point of water, thereby breaking up the emulsion and causing a portion of the water thereof to separate in liquid condition and another portion of the water to vaporize together with the volatile oil having a lower boiling point than water, then allowing the oil to stand to settle out the separated water, and collecting and drawing ofl the vapors of Water and volatile oil arising from the rap idly flowing body of oil and condensing the same.

2. The process of cleaning petroleum containing water in emulsified condition, which consists in passing the petroleum continuously in a shallow layer over and in contact with a metallic surface heated to a temperature above the boiling point of Water, thereby causing the emulsion of oil and water to. be broken up, art of the water separating in liquid condition, part of the water passing off as vapor, then allowing the oil to stand to settle outthe separated water, collecting and drawing off the foam arising from the heated body of oil in the operation above described, mixing said foam with the body of oil drawn oil? as above stated, and causing the foam to be dissolved in such body of oil.

3. The process of treating petroleum containing free water, emulsified water and volatile oil having a lower boiling point than water, which consists in heating the petroleum in a substantially stationary conditlon, to a suflicient temperature to cause the free water to settle therefrom, then drawing oh the petroleum and causing the same to flow rapidly over a metallic Surface heated to a temperature above the boiling point of tinned stationary body of oil by the heatof water, thereby breaking up the emulsion and causing a portion of the Water thereof to separate in liquid condition and another portion of the Water to vaporize together with the volatile oil having a lower boiling point than Water, then allowing the oil to stand to settle out the separated Water, collecting and drawing off the vapors of Water and volatile oil arising from the rapidly flowing body of oil and condensing the same, and heating the oil supplied to the first menthe Water vapor and volatile oil vapors drawn off from the rapidly flowing body of 15 oil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 5th day of August, 1912.

CHARLES W. STONE.

In presence of ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, MARY- E. BLASDEL. 

